- Festival celebrating Islanders’ generosity planned for September
- The Islands first Kindness Festival aims to acknowledge how caring and kind Islanders are to others around the world
- Have you ever carried out a ‘random act of kindness’? Take part in our poll below
A FESTIVAL to celebrate Islanders’ generosity and the work undertaken by Jersey’s charities is being planned for St Aubin in September.
Organiser Brian Clarke, of Kindness Connects, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting a better society by encouraging acts of kindness, also hopes local businesses will join in the Island’s first Kindness Festival.
‘The Island really cares and is generous in supporting charities and the purpose of the festival is to make that more visible to people,’ he said.
Mr Clarke added that he wanted to acknowledge how caring and kind Islanders are to others the world over by highlighting Jersey’s exceptional record in raising money – such as the more than £5 million collected in three days to help the communities of Asia recover from the devastation of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
The festival will be held outside St Brelade’s Parish Hall on Saturday 19 September from 10 am to 4.30 pm.
Mr Clarke said the area could accommodate 24 participants and he already had expressions of interest from 18 but he wanted to fill the space to create a fun atmosphere for families to enjoy.
Those who want to take part have to make it more than a static presence, he said, by providing entertainment, activities or demonstrations.
- Take the English words kin (noun: a group of people sharing a common ancestor) and kind (noun: a class of individuals or objects with common essential characteristics; or adjective: good by nature).
- All three words share ancient origins in the long-lost northern European word kunjam, meaning family. The last, which also means deliberately doing good to others, stems directly from the very old English word gecynde , which scholars define as natural or native.
- So those who first spoke the English language thought that humans are instinctively good to one another in short, that all men and women are essentially members of the same family.
Source: the Kindness Connects website
So far he has promises of live music, dancing, a donkey derby, tombola and a performance by a local choir.
He has also canvassed St Aubin traders, asking them to join in with special offers to their customers.
‘I have spoke to every business in St Aubin and suggested to them they might put on special festival offers,’ he said. ‘Maybe a restaurant could donate the money from a dish on its menu and donate it to charity and the shops would make a special offer of buying two items for the price of one, with the money going to charity.
‘All the charity money raised will be pooled and then distributed equally between all the charities taking part in the festival.
Charities wishing to take part should email Mr Clarke at brian@clarkebiz.com.
What is kindness?
- Kindness is the single most significant quality that distinguishes us as humans. It marks our shared humanity.
- This truth confirmed by the wisdom of the ages and through the words of humankinds deepest thinkers, religious leaders, philosophers, scientists explains how humankind continues to survive and thrive. Through thousands of years and countless generations.
- Of course there can be tension between individuals and social groups according to their different values and beliefs. But time and again the essential, social nature of womankind and mankind enables us to replace selfishness and even conflict with compassion and care through acts of kindness.
Why do we need kindness?
- Kindness is essential to human nature: it is part of our essence as humans as every religion affirms.
- Its also essential to our survival as scientists discoveries confirm.
- Alarming headlines come and go. What endures is our natural instinct to practise kindness in many different ways: a smile, a helping hand, a gift big or small delivered, received and repeated every single day. We have collected many such stories from every corner of the world.
- Kindness can break patterns in society by introducing this new element, creating unity and compassion.
Source: the Kindness Connects website
The Golden Rule, or the ethic of reciprocity, appears in the writings of every serious religion, including both those that are God-given and the secular. The Golden Rule is found in the scriptures of nearly every religion.
Here, in alphabetical order, is how many religious leaders have applied the wisdom of the ages – summing up the Golden Rule in a single sentence:
Ancient Egyptian
“Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do.” from The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 1970 BCE, translated by R.B. Parkinson.
Baha’i Faith
“Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.” Bah’u’llah, Gleanings
Brahmanism
Buddhism
“Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” Udana-Varga, 5:18
Confucianism
“One phrase which sums up the basis of all good conduct…loving kindness: do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.” Confucius, Analects 15.23
Christianity
“In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the law and the prophets.” Jesus, Matthew 7.12
Hinduism
“This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.” Mahabharata: 5:1517
Humanism
“Humanists acknowledge human interdependence, the need for mutual respect and the kinship of all humanity…don’t do things you wouldn’t want to have done to you.” British Humanist Society
Jainism
“One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated.” Mahavira, Sutrakritanga
Judaism
“What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour: this is the whole Torah – all the rest is commentary.” Hillel, Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Islam
Native Spirituality
“We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive.” Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, British Columbia, Canada.
Roman Pagan Religion
“I give that you might give…the law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves.”
Shinto
“The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form”. Ko-ji-ki Hachiman Kasuga
Sikhism
“I am a stranger to no one and no one is a stranger to me: indeed, I am a friend to all.” Guru Granth Sahib, pg 1299
Sufism
“The basis of Sufism is consideration of the hearts and feelings of others. If you haven’t the will to gladden someone’s heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone’s heart, for on our path, no sin exists but this.” Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order
Taoism
Regard your neighbour’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbour’s loss as your own loss.” T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’len, 213-218
Unitarianism
“We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” Unitarian principle
Yoruba (Nigeria)
“One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts.” Traditional proverb
Zoroastrianism
“Do not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself.” Shayast-na-Shayast 13.29
The Golden Rule is generally accepted as the most concise, universal principle of ethics. It compresses into a single principle all longer lists of ordinances such as the Ten Commandments.
Over the millennia many different thinkers, teachers, practitioners and prophets have applied its principles to a wide range of human activities, including: care for the environment, business ethics, economics and government policy and judges’ interpretation of the law.
Source: the Kindness Connects website
